Lincoln Place Tenants scored a major victory when the California Court of Appeals sided with tenants, ruling that the pending evictions were unlawful and violated the terms of conditions imposed pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in connection with a redevelopment project the city approved in November, 2002.

Lincoln Place was a 795-unit rent controlled complex in Venice. Some of the building have been demolished. The ruling is a huge blow to the owners of the complex, AIMCO, which is the largest landlord of private and HUD subsidized housing in the nation. AIMCO wants to redevelop the property with high-priced luxury townhouses.

Lincoln Place tenants were first faced with eviction 20 years ago when the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) helped tenants organize a tenant association to stop the landlord at that time from using a loophole in the rent control to eviction tenants and jack up rents.

That tenant association has stayed together and fought off numerous other attempts to eviction tenants under the tenacious and committed leadership of Sheila Bernard, the association President, Frieda Marlin, Laura Burns, Jan Book, Ingrid Mueller, Amanda Seward and many, many others.

Lincoln Place tenants have been loyal supporters and members of CES, having been key participants in many of our citywide efforts to protect rent control and oppose condo conversions and demolitions.

This court decisions could have major implications on supporting efforts to win further protects for tenants throughout the city facing condo conversions and demolitions.